Less Critical Role, More Adventure Zone

Matt Mercer has a knack for dramatic storytelling. The McElroys are hilarious.

And both games are great.

At the end of every session, I ask for feedback. I like to see what
my players liked and disliked that game, and get their input for next
time. They’re usually all gracious and like “nonono you were great!”

At least they say that on the outside!

But every now and then I get a nugget of valuable feedback. Dragon
Heist is a very social campaign and roleplay heavy, especially early on.
I was approaching it pretty seriously, until a player once mentioned
he’d like “less Critical Role, more Adventure Zone.”

And I realized there’s a time and a place for humor! And you can have
a great, dramatic story that’s also funny and lighthearted.

I guess that’s my point: you can do “both-and” with this. Just be
aware of your own style of DMing … do you lean more dramatic, like
Critical Role? Or more loose fun, like Adventure Zone?

Either way, don’t be afraid to experiment and stretch your style into
new things and ways of telling a great story, all while listening to
your players.

Because ultimately, the whole point of D&D is to tell a cool story and have fun.